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Plane crash kills Polish President and many more

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Wow, this plane was filled with Government officials.

Weather likely played a significant role in the plane crash that killed Poland's president Lech Kaczynski Saturday morning. Accuweather.com meteorologists studied the weather at the time of the crash in Smolensk, Russia, and indications show that dense fog was present before the plane went down.

According to observations, fog became very dense an hour before the crash. The visibility at ground level was only a couple hundred yards at the time of the crash. However, skies were clear above that for the plane's descent.

Winds were light and do not appear to have been a factor in the crash.

According to the news agency Interfax, the Smolensk Airport was closed due to the thick fog and poor visibility before the crash. The pilot was instructed to land at either Minsk to the west or Moscow to the east. The plane crashed after the pilot's fourth attempt to land at the closed airport.

Nearly 100 people were reportedly killed in the plane crash. In addition to the president, some of Poland's highest military and civilian leaders died. The crash occurred at 11 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EDT) in western Russia. The president's wife was also killed.

According to the Associated Press, the Tupolev-154, a Soviet-era plane, appeared to hit trees and break apart before approaching the runway.

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/27279/plane-crash-in-fog-kills-polis.asp

The list of those killed includes:

* President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria Kaczynska
* Aleksander Szczyglo, head of the National Security Bureau
* Wladyslaw Stasiak, the president’s chief of staff
* Slawomir Skrzypek, governor of the National Bank of Poland
* Franciszek Gagor, general and chief of staff of the Polish military
* Janusz Kochanowski, civic rights ombudsman
* Ryszard Kaczorowski, Poland’s last president in exile
* Janusz Kurtyka, head of the National Remembrance Institute
* Jerzy Szmajdzinski, deputy speaker of Sejm, lower house of Parliament
* Andrzej Kremer, deputy foreign minister
* Krzysztof Putra, deputy speaker of the Senate
* Krystyna Bochenek, deputy speaker of the Senate
* Stanislaw Komorowski, deputy defense minister
* Tadeusz Ploski, general and bishop plus other clergy
* Other commanders of the military forces
* Janusz Zakrzenski, a popular actor
* Anna Walentynowicz, a prominent leader of the Solidarity movement
* Piotr Nurowski, head of the Polish Olympic Committee
* A number of parliamentarians, some very prominent who were cabinet members at various points over the past two decades
* And many others.


Poland lost much of its political elite Saturday in the crash of the presidential airplane near Smolensk, western Russia.

Poland’s former president and legendary dissident Lech Walesa said:

“This is a tragedy that’s second after Katyn. Over there, they tried to cut off our head. The elite of our country has been killed again. It will take a while to fill this gap. This is a great loss.”

“Regardless of any differences, the intellectual loss for the nation is enormous. For the second time, part of the nation’s elite has been ripped out. We will have to work long to fill this gap, to train people. Things will not be like they used to. We also see how our life is of so little importance.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/new-europe/2010/04/10/polish-loses-much-of-elite-in-plane-crash/
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
On tv this morning they said the plane was 20 years old.
I'm sorry this happened; tragic.

I'm not sure, I don't think 20 is not that old for a commercial aircraft.

The one report I linked to, said that the airport was closed and the crew did not heed advice to go to a different airport.

I'm not sure of protocol, but I doubt many Countries would have that many high ranking officials on one plane, for this exact reason.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Yes, that is strange. They talked about the dense fog this morning,
I didn't mean to dispute what you posted, just that the airplane was
20 years old. Maybe we'll eventually find out why so many dignitaries
were on the same plane.
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
Yes, that is strange. They talked about the dense fog this morning,
I didn't mean to dispute what you posted, just that the airplane was
20 years old. Maybe we'll eventually find out why so many dignitaries
were on the same plane.

They might have been going for the Nuclear Summit that obama is at. I think it was in Moscow
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Found the reason they were all travelling together.

Russian and Polish officials said there were no survivors on the 26-year-old Tupolev, which was taking the president, his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre in Katyn forest of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

This will hit Poland hard. Tragic for sure.

"This is unbelievable — this tragic, cursed Katyn," Kaczynski's predecessor, Aleksander Kwasniewski, said on TVN24 television.

It is "a cursed place, horrible symbolism," he said. "It's hard to believe. You get chills down your spine."
 

Silver

Well-known member
This is a tragedy. I'm trying to imagine what it would be like in this country if something similar were to happen. They'll be a long time recovering from this I'm thinking.
I'm also surprised that so many high ranking officials were allowed on the same plane.
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Silver said:
This is a tragedy. I'm trying to imagine what it would be like in this country if something similar were to happen. They'll be a long time recovering from this I'm thinking.
I'm also surprised that so many high ranking officials were allowed on the same plane.

Putin says he will lead the investigation into the crash. I'm sure the truth will come out.
 

katrina

Well-known member
hypocritexposer said:
Silver said:
This is a tragedy. I'm trying to imagine what it would be like in this country if something similar were to happen. They'll be a long time recovering from this I'm thinking.
I'm also surprised that so many high ranking officials were allowed on the same plane.

Putin says he will lead the investigation into the crash. I'm sure the truth will come out.

You're joking right???
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
katrina said:
hypocritexposer said:
Silver said:
This is a tragedy. I'm trying to imagine what it would be like in this country if something similar were to happen. They'll be a long time recovering from this I'm thinking.
I'm also surprised that so many high ranking officials were allowed on the same plane.

Putin says he will lead the investigation into the crash. I'm sure the truth will come out.

You're joking right???

not me, I never joke.
 

per

Well-known member
The Soviets of the day were a cruel bunch and Katyn was as bad as it gets. Macarthur wanted to keep going in WWII and Katyn was an example of why he was right. The Russians never owned up to it until 1988 and it happened in 1940. Losing a large part of their brain trust at the same place, sad sad. :(
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
per said:
The Soviets of the day were a cruel bunch and Katyn was as bad as it gets. Macarthur wanted to keep going in WWII and Katyn was an example of why he was right. The Russians never owned up to it until 1988 and it happened in 1940. Losing a large part of their brain trust at the same place, sad sad. :(

I agree per...Could you imagine the makeup of the world today if Patton had been turned lose in Germany to head east- and MacArthur turned lose in Asia to head west- until the two met?

A lot of What If's....

Unless you really look at the history--Its hard to imagine all the problems that exist today-- that actually came to be because of actions taken during the time period of about 1918- 1945....
 

per

Well-known member
Unless you really look at the history--Its hard to imagine all the problems that exist today-- that actually came to be because of actions taken during the time period of about 1918- 1945....

Actions and In-actions. History always has consequences in the future.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
per said:
Unless you really look at the history--Its hard to imagine all the problems that exist today-- that actually came to be because of actions taken during the time period of about 1918- 1945....

Actions and In-actions. History always has consequences in the future.

Yep.....
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Oldtimer said:
per said:
The Soviets of the day were a cruel bunch and Katyn was as bad as it gets. Macarthur wanted to keep going in WWII and Katyn was an example of why he was right. The Russians never owned up to it until 1988 and it happened in 1940. Losing a large part of their brain trust at the same place, sad sad. :(

I agree per...Could you imagine the makeup of the world today if Patton had been turned lose in Germany to head east- and MacArthur turned lose in Asia to head west- until the two met?

A lot of What If's....

Unless you really look at the history--Its hard to imagine all the problems that exist today-- that actually came to be because of actions taken during the time period of about 1918- 1945....




Truth of the matter ot is in pattons day there was many just like today. Whined and bitched because a war was going on. Then there was vietnam the wars of today.

The idiots still protest and help those in charge make the wrong decision. It's people like you that want your freedom money and rights to protest and forget that to have all your wishes evil mus be contained.

So come down off of your soap box because one can bet you whined and bitched the whole time patton was fighting for what was right!
 
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